The worst leader
by Crystal Violeta
Summary: Leonardo is dying and asks forgiveness to his brothers for being the worst leader. Based on what happened after the TMNT second season finale. Alternate ending. WARNING: contains spoilers. Consider reading if you have not seen the episodes of "The Invasion"


**The worst leader**

**Disclaimer:** The ninja turtles don't belong to me but to their creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and now to Nickelodeon.

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><p>Leonardo was lying in bed, delirious with fever, while his brothers hovered around him and asked him to resist, begged him and reminded him that he was strong; but Leonardo no longer had the strength.<p>

_"What happened? How did I get to this?_" Leonardo asked himself in his delirium, and at that moment he recalled all...

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><p>"If I were the leader...!"<p>

"But you are not the leader, Donnie. I am!"

Splinter scolded Leonardo for fighting with his brother instead of focusing on the upcoming invasion of Kraang; however, Leonardo and Donatello continued arguing.

At that time, April took her friend to the lair, but when Irma revealed her identity as spy Kraang, the invader sent the coordinates to his companions and dozens and dozens of Robot Kraang entered the turtles' home. Then, Splinter ordered his children out of there, but before they could climb into the Shellraiser, the vehicle was destroyed.

Leonardo led Donatello, Mikey and April through the tunnels until they came to a crossroads. There Donatello began to fight with him about the actions to follow.

"You are the slow one!" yelled Donatello, "Your leadership is a disaster!"

"I just tried to do what Splinter wanted!"

At that moment more Kraang appeared and in the battle, Donnie was wounded in one arm. In a desperate attempt to save his brothers, Leonardo attracted the Kraang for them to follow him, while his brothers escaped to a safe place.

After that, everything was a mess.

Leonardo fought tirelessly against dozens of Kraang and foot-bots. There were so many that the situation didn't give him even a moment of rest. Exhausted, he came to an abandoned construction area. From the top of a building Shredder enjoyed the hunting of the young leader.

As an epic hero, Leonardo evaded arrows and defeating foot-bots, one after another, and although the foot-bots kept appearing, the leader remained fighting so bravely that Tiger Claw had to admit it.

"He fights bravely."

"He's young," Shredder said, "overconfident... and foolish!"

"Master, let me finish him."

"Not yet. I want to see him suffer!"

Despite his exhaustion and breathing hard, Leonardo didn't give up, never backing down at the attacks. The teenager mutant continued beating foot-bots, one by one, until he destroyed them all, but Leo lost his two swords in the process.

The leader took a few seconds to catch his breath, but when a robot threw him into the well, he rolled down the long slope, getting hurt in the big fall, until he sunk into the icy water. He barely managed to get out alive.

Exhausted, almost frozen and without his weapons, Leonardo stood and faced his enemies with fire in his eyes; a truly fearless leader.

"Now you can finish him," Shredder ordered them.

Tiger Claw, Razhar and Fish Face were launched against the exhausted leader, who received several blows, but despite fighting alone against the most powerful mutants of the Foot Clan, Leonardo gathered his strength and in a fit of rage, he managed to bring down all of them.

The leader of the turtles rose from the ground to recover his breath.

A few minutes earlier, Leonardo challenged Shredder yelling at him, "Stop sending your foot robots and face me!" But The Shredder refused to fight with him, claiming that the turtle was not at his level.

The cowardly Shredder only waited for Leonardo to become exhausted, beaten and almost frozen before he attacked him... he also had to do it from behind with much betrayal.

Nothing could make the brave warrior triumph against the treacherously planned attack of Shredder, who sank his sharp blades in the belly of Leonardo, through his shell. The turtle fell to the ground, unconscious and completely disconnected from the world.

What happened next was like a fuzzy dream, like a misty fog that confuses everything.

Leonardo vaguely realized that he was carried by Tiger Claw, being thrown through a window and heard the voices of his brothers screaming his name.

Then, he had the feeling of be carried by Raphael and being transported in a vehicle.

His consciousness came and went at moments while his whole body was screaming in pain.

Suddenly he felt that he was placed on a soft bed and heard the distant voices of his brothers. Among them, Donatello's voice screamed louder than others. Giving urgently instructed orders to the others about a blood transfusion.

Leonardo was shivering, but felt his skin was burning, because a very high fever had consumed him. Then began the dreams, nightmares and memories...

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><p><em>In Leonardo's mind appeared the scenes of the memory where his three brothers had humiliated him during training 'King of the Mountain'. That night Leo ended up lying on the ground, embarrassed by his brothers, and last but not least, Raphael threw him his sword with the nickname most insulting of all: 'Lame-O-nardo'.<em>

_"Master Splinter, I feel that my brothers don't respect me. Maybe I should not be the leader..."_

_"And the worst leader is...!" Raphael mocked when they failed to trap Snakeweed._

_"I'm the leader!" Leonardo said the first time he tried to save Karai and asked for help from his brothers, but Donatello and Raphael looked at each other in disbelief and said, "More or less."_

_"You are the slow one! Your leadership is a disaster!" Donatello yelled in the tunnels because Leonardo wanted to find Raphael and Casey, while Donnie wanted to use his latest invention._

In the mind of the leader appeared all the scenes in which his brothers mocked him or his leadership. These memories repeated one after another as a cruel joke.

_"And the worst leader is..." "the worst leader!" "worst leader!"_

_"Your leadership is a disaster" "it's a disaster" "disaster!"_

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><p>Leonardo was breathing with difficulty and shook his head from one side to the other.<p>

"Guys, he's waking up," Donatello said.

Leonardo could just slightly open eyes.

"Do-Donnie?" Leonardo tried to speak but his words sounded just like a whisper.

"Shhh. Don't talk!" Donnie begged, "You must keep your strength up."

"I just tried... to make... the best... but... I couldn't...! I-I failed to you!"

"Leo, you've never failed us!" Mikey cried while hugging the body of his brother, "Ever!"

"You... were right... when you called me... 'Lame-O-nardo', 'slow', or 'worst leader'!"

"Leo, sorry!" Raphael apologized, "I should never call you that!"

"But... you right!... I was a failure!... I've never been... a good leader!"

"Don't say that!" Raphael said with his green eyes filled with tears, "You're a good leader!"

"More or less?"

Donatello and Raphael exchanged guilt-filled glances. They remembered what they had said to his older brother.

"Please Do-Donnie… take care… of all!"

"Enough!" shouted Raphael, "Stop talking as if you're saying goodbye."

"But... Donnie is right!... my leadership... is a disaster!"

"No, Leo! You were right. I didn't know what I was saying!" Donnie tried to hold back tears, "We had to leave when you said!"

"Now... you'll... be the new leader," Leonardo's chest was heaving up and down as if he couldn't breathe.

"No! No, Leo!" Now the tears flowed freely down Donatello's face, "I don't want to be the leader!"

"But… you'll be!"

"I can't be the leader!" Donatello repeated, "You are the leader and always you'll be!

"Not… anymore!" Leonardo breathing heavily, as if each word in hurt him, "I made... many mistakes... but you'll... do better... that me!"

Donatello couldn't take it anymore, and fell on his knees hugging to the neck of his brother, "Please forgive me, Leo!" Begged between sobs, "I'm so sorry!"

"I love you, guys!" His breath was more and more hard, and every word caused pain, "Forgive me... for being... the worst leader...!"

These last words just managed to crawl from his lips, which at that time stopped moving, the brightness of his eyes disappeared, and his heart stopped forever.

**The end**

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><p>It's sad, I know, but I hope you liked it.<p>

Thanks so much to SleepingSeeker for her help in the translation and corrections of this fic. She is amazing!

Before watching the episode 'The Invasion' I read the summary in TMNTpedia, they said "Leo makes a mistake and is separated from the team" but when I saw the episode, I was indignant with the comment. Leonardo didn't make any mistake! He just was trying to protect his family. As always he sacrificed himself for Donnie, Mikey and April could escape, while Kraang pursuing him.

Sometimes Leonardo's brothers are ungrateful, so I took some the sad scenes of the episodes and put them together in this fic.

I just saw the the first 8 minutes of season 3. It was amazing, but I was hope see his brothers (especially Donatello) more sad.

I send everyone a big hug.


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